It’s possible very little forces a rookie defensive back to adjust to the NFL faster than looking at Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce consider the field across the line of scrimmage.
Effectively, probably viewing Tyreek Hill working a jet sweep and threatening to dart down the sideline.
Talanoa Hufanga, a 49ers basic safety, experienced to offer with the two the NFL’s most powerful quarterback-limited finish combination and arguably the game’s quickest participant in his specialist debut Saturday from Kansas Metropolis.
Hill “is a great participant, and currently being equipped to go towards him, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce ideal off the bat, it was just a blessing,” Hufanga stated just after Monday’s follow. “You virtually have to pinch on your own and understand where you’re at, what stadium you are in and the custom guiding every thing.”
Hufanga should have pinched himself prior to kickoff, for the reason that, by the start of the 19-16 decline, he confirmed no signs of nonetheless being in a rookie daze. The fifth-spherical decide out of USC was continuously all around the ball, tallying four tackles and generating a long lasting perception on head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“It was pleasurable to check out him out there,” Shanahan mentioned. “… I realized he’d be amped up and completely ready to go. It was kind of neat, mainly because experience him out there and viewing him enjoy are living, I felt like there was a little a lot more to him, even — a minimal additional power he performed with.
“Sometimes, it can make men and women bust their assignments and do even worse. But I imagined it served him participate in greater, and I considered it confirmed up on protection and exclusive groups.”
Just after Hufanga was picked on the 3rd day of the draft, he told reporters that he required to make the Professional Bowl as a exclusive-teamer in his rookie time. Now, he’s bought a sensible chance of enjoying significant snaps on defense and possibly even beginning.
Just do not inform the 6-foot, 200-pounder.
“I’m actually nonetheless just seeking to get on the 53-person roster,” he reported. “I just want to support the workforce any way attainable. No matter whether that’s specific teams or encouraging people men out and getting them seems to be, I want to do my job and do my position.
“I feel a big aspect of my thoughts-set coming in was just to aid the crew, and if that was on exclusive groups, I would make that do the job as a lot as doable.”
Hufanga has been thrust into far more well known motion for the reason that of a turf-toe harm to starting up strong security Jaquiski Tartt, who wanted a surgical treatment that has place his period in concern, and groin and hamstring ailments that landed Tony Jefferson on hurt reserve.
Between San Francisco’s contingency plans are Tavon Wilson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was signed Wednesday. In advance of way too very long, however, Hufanga may possibly demonstrate better than both of all those possibilities.
He skipped his senior period at USC and well prepared for the draft with Corridor of Fame security Troy Polamalu. The similarities are obvious when Hufanga’s extended black curls dance as he instinctively pounces toward the ball.
It’s possible this should have been predicted, simply because Hufanga has often generated. He experienced 203 tackles, which includes 16.5 for losses and 6.5 sacks, in 24 game titles at USC. The 2020 Pac-12 Defensive Participant of the Calendar year had four interceptions and two forced fumbles in six online games throughout the coronavirus-shortened period.
Right before that, he was the Polynesian Superior University National Player of the 12 months out of Crescent Valley in Corvallis, Ore. He grew up on a farm with chickens, cows, goats and pigs.
“It’s a distinctive type of childhood. I didn’t have community good friends to hang out with,” he said in the group bio. “On the weekends, it was necessary that my brother and I were being performing. We weeded, cleaned the barn, fed the animals, took eggs out of the chicken coop and managed the pig pens.”
No speculate dealing with defensive assignments from Mahomes, Kelce and Hill doesn’t look all that overwhelming.
Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle workers author. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron